THE SCHOOL OF THE SHORE 55 



meant by a fitness or adaptation some pecu- 

 liarity of structure or habit which is particu- 

 larly well suited for special conditions of life; 

 and one of the pleasures of Natural History 

 lies in the discovery of these fitnesses. 



The turtles come ashore from the warm seas 

 and lay their eggs in the sand, and the mothers 

 linger till their young ones are hatched. The 

 Edible Turtle is a vegetarian, living on sea- 

 weeds, and must therefore keep within the 

 shore-area in the wide sense. It has not far 

 to migrate when the time of egg-laying draws 

 near. But the fish-eating turtles of the Open 

 Sea, like the Hawksbill Turtle and the Snap- 

 ping Turtle, often make long journeys before 

 they find suitable places for egg-laying on the 

 shores of island or continent. 



The venomous sea-snakes, well known in the 

 Indian Ocean, are tenants of the Open Sea, 

 but some of them at least come to the shores 

 at the breeding season. They do not lay eggs 

 as the turtles do, but bring forth their young 

 as fully formed little snakes, and it is interest- 

 ing to know that the mother often remains for 

 a while with her children, until they are able 

 to fend for themselves and follow her out to 

 sea. This is what we mean by " love" on the 



